


Sacrifices

by Lumina83, TeriTheTacticalUnicorn



Series: Sacrifices [1]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Established Relationship, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Joker/Shepard ship, Marriage, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Soldier (Mass Effect), Sole Survivor (Mass Effect), Spacer (Mass Effect), some plot deviations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-17 10:01:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18963007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumina83/pseuds/Lumina83, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeriTheTacticalUnicorn/pseuds/TeriTheTacticalUnicorn
Summary: Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's something to regret. It's something to aspire to.~Admiral David Anderson of The Alliance Navy~





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Silent Unspeakable Memories](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7352674) by [rexadozonelayer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rexadozonelayer/pseuds/rexadozonelayer). 



> I'd like to take credit for this idea, but Rexa gave it to me with her fic Silent Unspeakable Memories, so thank you rexadozonelayer for your fic which inspired myself and Dez to write this.

 

Chapter One

 

Lacie smiled; she hadn’t been sure she would live through the fight with Saren, or be able to save the Citadel. But she did. Now, she was standing at the altar in front of her friends and family vowing to love this man for the rest of her life. He had pulled her ass out of the fire so many times, she lost track. She hadn’t known her pilot would be the same pilot she was engaged to. She blamed her dad - it was _his_ ship first.

 

It had been six weeks since Saren and Sovereign attacked the Citadel; now she stood in one of the many chapels on the station, in a white dress Liara had requisitioned for her months ago, saying ‘I Do.’

 

“Ya know, Lace, a wedding doesn’t mean shore leave.” Joker whispered in her ear sarcastically before kissing her passionately on the lips and pulling her flush against him. The small chapel erupted in cheers; Tali, Wrex, Garrus, Liara, Ashley and Lacie’s parents were so happy for her and Joker. They were all there supporting her and Joker. The Normandy would be leaving in three hours to search for geth in the Amada System of the Omega Nebula now that the frigate had undergone all of it’s necessary repairs. Lacie Shepard and Jeff Moreau were not going to wait until their next shore leave to get married; they decided life was too short to wait any longer...

 

 _Five Days Later:_ _Normandy SR-1, near Alchera_

 

“Disengaging FTL drives. Emission sinks active. Board is green… we are running silent.” Joker said as he watched the stats in front of him. Lacie was in their cabin, trying to get some rest before helping Joker at the helm; she had taken over Kaidan’s duties after his death on Virmire.

 

“We’re wasting our time. Four days searching up and down this sector, and we haven’t found any sign of geth activity.” Pressly said as he scrolled through a datapad and checked Henson’s monitor.

 

“Three ships went missing here in the past month. Something happened to them.” Joker said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he flipped virtual switches.

 

“My money’s on slavers. The Terminus system is crawling with them.” Pressly said before Ensign’s monitor began beeping.

 

“Picking up something on the long-range scanner. Unidentified vessel. Looks like a cruiser.” She said as she swiped at her virtual scanner screen.

 

“Doesn’t match any known signatures.” Joker said as he pulled up the same scanner in front of him.

 

After a few moments, Ensign spoke up when she picked up the strange vessel changing its course, “Cruiser is changing its course. Now on intercept trajectory.” She said as a worried look filled all of the faces currently in the cockpit.

 

“Can’t be. Stealth systems are engaged, there’s no way a geth ship could--” Pressly began before Joker started flipping switches and firing engines; he also sent out a ship-wide warning signal.

 

“It’s not the geth. Brace for evasive maneuvers!” Joker hollered before beginning said maneuvers.

 

It was like a slo-mo vid: They were hit. An explosion just to Joker’s right killed Pressly instantly.

 

***

 

The alarms shook Lacie from her troubled sleep, Joker had pinged her omni-tool 9-1-1.

 

_Shit._

 

She quickly pulled on her armor and was pulling her helmet over her dark hair just as Ashley and Liara ran up to the small armory just outside her and Joker’s quarters. “Shepard!” They said in unison as Liara grabbed a fire extinguisher. Four times they had been hit, internally Lacie was screaming, externally she was as calm as she had been on her wedding day almost a week ago.

 

Attaching her helmet, she turned to Ashley, “The distress beacon is ready for launch.”

 

Ashley followed suit in putting her helmet on, as did Liara. “Will the Alliance get here in time, Shepard?” Ashley asked as she eyed Liara. The Asari’s usually calm demeanor had been replaced with fear as she handed Ashley the fire extinguisher and ran to help a few people to the bridge.

 

The hull shook violently, nearly sending both women flying until Joker evened out as quickly as Lacie could imagine. “The Alliance won’t abandon us. We just need to hold on. Get everyone onto the escape shuttles.”

 

Ashlie was trying and failing to put out the most recent electrical fire that had been set off a bit too close for comfort. Ashley’s next words sent chills up Shepard’s spine, “Joker’s still in the cockpit, Lacie. He won’t abandon ship. I’m not leaving, either.”

 

Lacie Shepard-Moreau was seeing red, and not from the flames engulfing the Normandy, “I said get to the damn shuttles! I’ll haul my husband’s crippled ass out of here myself.” Lacie said as she was also trying to put out a fire and noticed Ashley hadn’t moved. “I said get the hell out of here!” Ashley knew better than to say no to an angry Shepard, she helped as many as she could to the shuttles.

 

Lacie was not about to become a widow five days after her wedding; minus a few explosions nearly sending her flying, she made it to the CIC faster than she would admit to anyone but Joker. She could see escape shuttles being launched as her mag boots gripped the metal flooring of the wide-open CIC. It was so quiet, and a sort of calm enveloped Lacie as she looked out onto Alchera as she made her way to Joker.

 

It felt like an eternity had passed from the door to the CIC to Joker, “Come on Joker, we have to get out of here, _please.”_ Lacie begged of her husband.

 

She knew he wouldn’t go willingly for anyone else but her, “No! I won’t abandon the Normandy! I can still save her!” Joker argued, not looking up at the pale green eyes of his wife.

 

“Jeff! The Normandy’s lost. Going down with the ship won’t change that.” Lacie said, still pleading. He finally locked eyes with his worried wife.

 

“Yea. Ok… Help me up babe.” He said calmly. Lacie carefully lifted him up by his arm, as quickly as she could and wrapped her arm around his waist.

 

The last thing she heard was her husband calling her name as she hit the ‘eject’ button outside of the evac shuttle. “Commander? Lacie!” and then a blast knocked her hard into the corner between the cockpit and CIC. She could hear a _hiss_ coming from her suit. She was losing O2.

 

         Lacie began to panic, trying her best to reach the oxygen hose that had come loose when she was slammed into the wall. She couldn’t reach it. Her throat burned for lack of oxygen, she couldn’t help but claw at her neck as the sensation blurred her vision. It didn't take long for that calm to settle her once more as she started to feel tingly all over. She gasped for air and her arms fell to her sides as she was pulled towards Alchera's surface.

 

She was dead before she broke the atmosphere.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joker and Shepard are reunited on The Illusive Man's base.

**Chapter Two**

 

Six weeks. They hadn’t been able to go to Alchera and search for Shepard’s body, Joker had been grounded by the council; he was suddenly pissed that Lacie had decided to save their ungrateful asses, especially after they chalked up Sovereign’s attack on the Citadel to Saren and the geth. Deep in his mind, he knew that they were hiding something; but these proud fuckers would never admit to it.

 

He kept in touch with everyone, Liara seemed to be the only one missing as their small group stared at the empty mahogany coffin covered in an Alliance Marines flag. Blue and white lilies filled the room - they were her favorite. Landon Shepard, Lacie's twin brother, was there, in his dress blues, to pay his respects to the empty coffin as well. 

 

The likeness between the fraternal twins was uncanny; Landon had the same wild auburn curls, just shorter. He was much taller and quite thin, not nearly as muscular as Lacie. Looking at him mourn his sister made Joker's chest clench, when their eyes met, Joker could sense a deep pain in those light green eyes… And maybe a trace of understanding... or empathy. 

 

_ Why couldn't I save her? _

 

Joker leaned on his cane as he held her extra set of the new dog tags Shepard got after their wedding in his hand, the chain wrapped around his fingers. All of the most important information about her life stamped on the clean metal:

  
  


Name: Shepard-Moreau, Lacie Quinn

N7 Operative, Spectre

Birthdate: 04/11/2154

Blood Type: O Neg

Spouse: Jeff ‘Joker’ Moreau, Alliance Helmsman

  
  
  


As he walked back through the small cemetery towards the hover car that awaited him and Landon, his omni-tool pinged; a message from an encrypted, unknown sender appeared in his mailbox.

 

_ Mr. Moreau,   _

 

__ _ We have her… and we are willing to give you back what you have lost.  _ _   
_ _ You just have to fly... for us and for her. _

 

_ Miranda Lawson _

 

The message included coords of a pick up point. They found her body, they were going to _‘try’_ to bring her back to life? Who was this? And who in the world would be so… selfless? He did not liked the sound of it, but for Shepard he would try anything. 

  
  


That was two years ago.

 

***

 

“What do you mean she woke up while I was gone? Where is she now?” Joker asked when he got back to the Illusive Man’s base after hearing that Miranda’s medical ship had been destroyed from the inside.

 

“She is with Jacob and Miranda at the colony of Freedom’s Progress, Mr. Moreau. She should return within the next twelve hours.” Joker hated this guy; The Illusive Man paid him well, but was always so cryptic. Joker didn’t trust him as far as he could throw him, not that he was willing to try, anyway. Might break something.

 

“Tell me as soon as she’s back, I’m tired of being left in the dark.” He said, pointing his finger at the holographic man puffing on a cigarette, before turning to leave.

 

“Mr. Moreau, I suggest following Miss Kleary to the docks before you retire for the evening.” With that, the visual of the asshole with the ‘crazy eyes’ vanished and the assistant arrived and nodded for him to follow. 

 

What he saw out the window to the docks blew his mind; It was The Normandy, but  _ much _ larger. And painted in Cerberus colors. Joker grimaced, he’d much rather have the SR-1 back, and his wife. He wasn’t sure what to expect when he saw her: would she even remember him? Two years was a long time to be brain-dead on an operating table. 

 

A few hours later, his omni-tool buzzed, waking him with a message from the Illusive Man to come to the comm room. 

 

The door slid open, her long, dark auburn curls were gone; replaced by shoulder-length straight locks as he stared at her back. “I found a pilot you might like, I hear he’s one of the best. Someone you can trust.” She turned to face him and her pale green eyes lit up and she smiled wide when she saw him, first with her eyes, then her mouth followed. Beautiful, but not wild enough to give out weakness in front of Cerberus. 

 

_Still my Lacie._ Sweet, but not careless. The pureblood, badass soldier he married.

 

“Joker.” Her voice cracked as a tear rolled down her scarred cheek. She waited for the call to disconnect to make a move. Shepard walked over to him, and looked up into his dark, hooded green eyes before they embraced each other. Her armor cut into his body as he crushed her close and cried silently into her exposed neck. Joker placed both of his hands on either side of her face and kissed every inch, making her giggle; oh how he missed that sound.

 

After she changed out of her armor and into some of the clothes Joker brought from their shared apartment on the Citadel, he led her to the dock where the new Normandy was sitting. Flipping a switch, the dock lights turned on one by one and Lacie’s face was one he hadn’t seen since their wedding day. She was home. “They just told me last night…”

 

“Guess we have to give her a name.” Lacie said as Joker wrapped his arms around her waist. He felt as if this was a dream; he hadn’t held her in two years and fourteen days. And if it was, he would kill the person that dared to wake him.

  
  


*****

 

After a night of troubled sleep, Lacie shot straight up in their bed, and looked to her right. Letting out a breath, she reached for her dog tags in between her breasts, forgetting that her wedding and engagement rings were on the set she had lost. Her face fell and she pulled her knees to her chest as she looked at Joker sleeping so peacefully, probably the best sleep he’s had since she died. She would never say it to his face, but the way that his shoulders had relaxed with the release of a heavy weight when she appeared; the bags under his eyes were pretty clear, telling her of all the rough times he endured since she was spaced in front of him. Of all the sleepless nights.

 

Instead of going back to sleep for the last two hours, Lacie decided to find some clothes; in the dresser were ugly black, white and orange one-piece bodysuits. Lacie was suddenly very grateful that Joker thought to bring a duffel bag of her own clothing. She dug out her workout clothes and pulled up the map Miranda had given her of the base, or at least where she was cleared to go.

 

When Joker finally found his wife, she was sitting in the mess in her cotton shorts and cut-off N-7 tank, holding a steaming cup of coffee with a datapad in her other hand. God, but she was beautiful, even with her hair chopped off haphazardly.

 

         “Lacie?” Joker asked and she smiled softly as he grabbed an empty mug from the counter and filled it before sitting in the chair opposite her. 

 

“I missed so much, Joker. Where did everyone go? What are they doing? Why are you working for these… these _ terrorists _ !” She asked without trying to sound too accusing.

 

Joker’s face fell, he could tell she was hurt because life had moved on for almost everyone but her. It was as if she went to sleep and had woken up two hours later to a completely new world, and everyone but Joker had abandoned her. 

 

"It all fell apart without you, Lacie. Everything you stirred up, the council just wanted it  _ gone. _ The team was broken up, records sealed, and I was grounded. The Alliance took away the two things that mattered most to me, hell yeah I joined Cerberus." Joker said as he pulled Lacie into his lap and wrapped his arms around her small waist.

 

         "Don’t tell me You really trust the Illusive Man …  _ please _ ." She asked, kissing his cheek.

 

         "Come on Mrs. Moreau… You know I don't trust anyone that makes more than I do. But they aren't all bad. Saved your life, let me fly." He brushed her hair behind her ear and just as he was pulling her close for a kiss, their omni-tool alarms went off

**Author's Note:**

> https://i1259.photobucket.com/albums/ii552/billnyeourlordandsaviorso/764e711cb94b7b85cb7bad309faf23b6_zps2gmnk2nw.jpg
> 
> new cover ayyyy - edit by ellie (lavisyste)


End file.
